US avoids predicting when Mubarak will leave

Even as the White House tries to prepare for an Egypt without longtime US ally Hosni Mubarak, it won't be drawn into predicting when the Egyptian president will step down.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said forcing Mubarak to leave office quickly could complicate the already enormous challenges Egypt faces in transforming itself from autocracy to democracy. Clinton said Mubarak's departure could affect "significant actions" he has himself taken to get the reform process started. (AP)